Special request from Shipito parcel forwarder: extra bubble wrap and security tape for $2 each

Shipito parcel forwarder has finally offered extra bubble wrap and security tape as special requests for consolidated packages.

All special requests that Shipito currently offers:

Visual check that content is not damaged	FREE	-
Remove Invoice	$1	Remove store invoices from the package(s)
Extra Bubble Wrap	$2	Put extra bubble wrap or packaging material to protect the items.
Extra Tape	$2	Put extra tape on the package seams
Security Tape	$2	Put security tape on the package, so it's evident if the package has been opened after shipping
Other Request	$5	Write your own request

Here is the extra bubble wrap used for protecting my package:

Amazon problem: Group my items into as few shipments as possible doesn't work in many cases

Every time you place an order on Amazon that is sold or shipped by Amazon LLC, you can choose from one of the following shipping preferences:

• Group my items into as few shipments as possible


• I want my items faster. Ship them as soon as they become available (at additional cost)

But even if you choose the "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" when ordering all items from Amazon, chances are Amazon will send you several packages:

When you choose the option to "Group my items into as few shipments as possible," we combine shipments where we can. Since we don't always have all the items you order at the same fulfillment center, we can't always send everything in one package.

To fill your order as quickly as possible, we will ship order from multiple fulfillment centers in separate shipments.

For each shipment in your order, we charge a portion of the total per-shipment fee plus the per-item fee for each item in that shipment. Your total shipping charges reflected the amount you would have paid if your items had all been shipped together.

Our website offers items for sale both by Amazon.com and by registered sellers. You can add items sold by Marketplace sellers as well as items that are sold by Amazon.com to your Shopping Cart. You'll only need to fill out our order form once, but the items will be divided into separate orders based on seller. If the seller of an item isn't Amazon.com, you'll see the seller's name on the Shopping Cart summary page and in our order form.

When you buy from a seller, the seller will process and ship your order. Items ordered from one of these sellers will have separate shipping charges.

Most shipping forwarders like Shipito charge either for package consolidation or for every incoming package, so beware of the additional charges you may have due to several shipments.

If you have the same problem with Amazon, try to contact their support. The more requests like this they have, the more attention they will pay to customers using shipping forwarders.

Problem with Amazon: Order sent in multiple packages despite the "Groupmy items into as few shipments as possible" option

Most freight forwarding services like Shipito charge for package consolidation. Shipito charges $2 per consolidated package if you use a paid Virtual Mailbox plan ($50/year or $10/month). To avoid additional consolidation charges always use the "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option on Amazon.

How to select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" on Amazon

1. Add all the items to your cart.


2. When asked, select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" as your shipping preference.
   
   

If you don't care about consolidation fees prefer to ship faster, choose the "Ship my items as soon as possible (additional shipping charges may apply)" option instead.

How do I take advantage of FREE Super Saver Shipping?

1. Place over $25 of eligible Amazon products in your Shopping Cart. Eligible items will say "FREE Super Saver Shipping..." next to their price:
   
   


2. Proceed to checkout.


3. Ship your items to a single U.S. address.


4. Select Super Saver Shipping as your shipping speed. Please note that your order will take an additional 3 to 5 days to ship.


5. Select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" as your shipping preference.


6. Place your order, and enjoy the free shipping.

Problems with "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option

If you make a single order on Amazon, there are several reasons why you may get it in multiple packages:

• Amazon has a marketplace. Orders from many sellers of the marketplace are not fulfilled and shipped by Amazon itself.


• Some items are shipped from different Amazon fulfillment centers.


• Orders marked as gifts may arrive as several packages.

But this list is not complete. For example, I ordered 4 toys from Amazon last week. All these toys were fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. All 4 toys would fit into a 26x13x13 box. But Amazon has sent these toys in 3 packages, although they were sent from the same fulfillment center and all of them were shipped the same day! So the following message about quicker service can be disappointing despite what Amazon thinks about it:

Greetings from Amazon.com, We thought you'd like to know that we shipped this portion of your order separately to give you quicker service. You won't be charged any extra shipping fees, and the remainder of your order will follow as soon as those items become available.

If you use Shipito for sending packages overseas, you can always upgrade your free service plan to the Virtual Mailbox to enable package consolidation. But when using any freight forwarder you should always keep in your mind that you may get multiple packages instead of just one.

How to combine multiple Amazon orders into the same shipment

When possible, Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment. This helps Amazon to reduce the number of packages they need to send to you, so you receive fewer packages and have less packaging material to dispose of when you receive your orders.


Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment if the orders meet the following criteria:

• Multiple orders are placed through the same customer account


• The orders are being shipped to the same address.


• Items from each order are located at the same Amazon fulfillment center.


• The orders are shipping at around the same time.

There are some cases when Amazon won't be able to combine shipments. For instance, they may not be able to combine the following types of orders:

• Orders that can't be shipped from the same fulfillment center to meet your promised delivery date.


• Orders shipping from different fulfillment centers.


• Orders being shipped to different addresses.


• Orders being shipped to an international shipping address.


• Orders marked as gifts.

Amazon will also try to combine orders for items that are placed via 1-Click ordering into a single order if the orders are placed in the same 30-minute time period.

Free consolidation of magazines on Shipito

Shipito allows you to receive magazines and letters. You can:

• trash them,


• enable fast mailout and send them to you via Shipito air mail,


• consolidate magazines with your packages.

When consolidating magazines with other packages many users wouldn't want to pay the regular consolidation fee of $2 per package. Luckily there are 2 ways to get free consolidation of magazines on Shipito:

• Get "Virtual Mailbox Premium" ($25 per month or $150 per 6 months)


• Get "Virtual Mailbox" ($50 per year) and pay for more than 1 year. To be accurate virtual mailbox must be pre-paid for longer than 365 days and then there is no fee for consolidating magazines. Just watch when your Virtual Mailbox gets below 365 days as it will make the consolidation for a fee again.

Note that you can't consolidate a letter for free. But you can request email shipping of the contents of the letter or pictures of it, which will be a scan for $2.

What is package consolidation and can you save by consolidating packages when using Shipito?

Shipito Package Consolidation

Package consolidation is a process where packages are taken and put in one bigger box. When Shipito consolidates packages, they use a box you selected on consolidation page (usually USPS size limit 26"x13"x13").

Package/Parcel Consolidation: Bigger box vs. smaller box

A bigger box is available on Shipito (36"x17"x17"). But please note that the bigger box has limitations for choosing shipping methods (some countries have lower size limits for postal shipments). You will see if you can select your preferred shipping method on consolidation page.


Also note that big and heavy packages increase risk of damages during shipping. The 36"x17"x17" box is riskier to ship than the 26"x13"x13" box.


If you need bigger box, Shipito has offers a 37"x37"x26" box which is really big (you can use it for DHL, FedEx Freight or Shipsourcing container). You can also place a special request and Shipito will pack your packages on the pallet (might not be cheaper due to the weight and cost of the pallet).

Also note that some dimensional weight is used for some shipping methods, but Shipito employees usually try to use the smallest box possible.

If it is not possible to consolidate all packages/parcels into ONE box

Shipito tries to consolidate all packages in one box. If that is not possible they automatically use another box. You can also select to return extra packages back in your mailbox on the consolidation page.

Remove retail packaging vs. removing ALL packaging vs. keeping outside box

Another useful feature that Shipito offers is the Package removal.


For example retailer sends a pair of shoes packed in the nice retail/product box which is placed in bigger box for shipping. There are three options available:

• Keep outside box (they will consolidate the box as received)


• Keep retail packaging (outside box is thrown away, shoe box stays)


• Remove all unnecessary packaging (shoe box is thrown away, only shoes are packed)

Shipito package consolidation page: Keep outside box, Keep retail packaging, Remove all unnecessary packaging

If you are concerned about fragile items, you can place a Special request, so that Shipito can add extra packaging material. Or just keep fragile items in original boxes (for extra layer of protection).


Note that by removing all unnecessary packaging you can save on shipping a lot, since packages become smaller and lighter. But please note that if you will need to return an item, it will have to return it in retail packaging.

Can't I just order multiple items from a large online store like Amazon and avoid consolidation?

Amazon prices are usually good, but sometimes you may find the same stuff cheaper elsewhere. Besides the major problem is that even if you make a single order, there are several reasons why you may get it in multiple packages:

• Amazon has a marketplace. Orders from many sellers of the marketplace are not fulfilled and shipped by Amazon itself.


• Some items are shipped from different Amazon fulfillment centers.


• Orders marked as gifts may arrive as several packages.

But this list doesn't seem to be complete. For example, I ordered 4 toys from Amazon last week. All these toys were fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. All 4 toys would fit into a 26x13x13 box. But Amazon has sent these toys in 3 packages, although they were sent from the same fulfillment center and all of them were shipped the same day.


Many other online retailers besides Amazon have sent me multiple packages instead of only one. But if you use Shipito, you can always upgrade your free service plan to Virtual Mailbox to enable package consolidation if you need it.

How to enable Shipito Package Consolidation

You will need VIRTUAL MAILBOX or NEW VIRTUAL MAILBOX service plan. Personally I use the VIRTUAL MAILBOX for $50/year. You can also use it for $10/month.

How to change / upgrade your "INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES" service plan to enable package consolidation:

1. Login to your Shipito account.


2. Click onto "Show / hide" beside "Your Shipito and Home Address"


3. Click onto "change / upgrade" beside "Shipito ENG - INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES"


4. Select VIRTUAL MAILBOX or NEW VIRTUAL MAILBOX

Can you Save by Consolidating Packages?

I've been using Shipito Virtual Mailbox for 3 years. I used to pay $50 for the Virtual Mailbox plus $2 for every consolidated package. Now I pay $100 per year for the same Old Virtual Mailbox plan. I've consolidated 240+ packages into 29 (one of the packages and a magazine were sent without consolidation, one of the packages was returned to the seller, two packages were transfered from Oregon warehouse to Torrance). This allowed me to save $11'114.64 - $50*2 - $100*2 = $10'814.64 where $50*2 is the cost of the Virtual Mailbox for 2 years and $100*2 is the cost of the Old Virtual Mailbox for another 2 years.

One of the best savings for me were with jewerly items. The lowest shipping rate fee for me that comes with tracking costs about $41 (cheaper methods are also available, but I prefer to be able to track my packages), plus I pay $8.5 for mailing my package out. If I consolidate 2 jewerly items, I still pay $41 + $8.5, plus I pay $4 for 2 packages being consolidated. And if I consolidate jewerly packages with something bigger, I can save even more, because jewerly is small and weighs almost nothing.


Also I always remove shoe boxes during consolidation. It allows to save a lot, although I lose a chance to return items due to the lack of the retail packages.


It is interesting that sometimes you can save not only by consolidating, but also by just repacking. This happens even with online retailers like Amazon when they send some small item in a much bigger package.

Share your experience about consolidating packages

Do you consolidate packages? Do you remove retail package?

Links

Visit the Shipito web-site